The story of Maison Wessman begins at Château de Saint-Cernin, in the southwest of France. It is here, in the heart of the Périgord Pourpre, that Robert and Ksenia Wessman chose to bring to life an audacious wine estate.
An Icelandic entrepreneur, Robert Wessman has always combined ambition with innovation. Together with his wife, captivated by the soils of Château de Saint-Cernin, they set themselves the challenge of crafting the best wine in the world. Thus was born Maison Wessman, which since 2016 has been creating wines that embody Icelandic duality, the raw power of the elements and the striking beauty of unspoiled nature.
The Saint-Cernin vineyard stretches across the Issigeac plateau, a historic terroir with over 2,000 years of viticultural heritage. Standing 150 meters above sea level, it benefits from a mild oceanic influence that brings freshness, balanced by a continental character reinforced by altitude, a combination that preserves natural acidity. Alternating layers of limestone and clay provide ideal drainage while maintaining deep water reserves essential during dry summers. The thin topsoil, just 20 to 50 centimeters deep, forces the vines to root deeply into compact limestone, naturally limiting yields and concentrating aromas. Optimal sunlight and cool nights endow the wines with remarkable verticality, tension, and finesse.
Under the guidance of Michel Rolland and Julien Viaud, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon reveal their full nobility here. The Saint-Cernin AOP Bergerac Rouge 2019 is a structured wine interlacing notes of blackcurrant, violet, and sweet spice. The N°1 Saint-Cernin, produced in very limited quantities, impresses with its depth and complexity, offering layers of stone-fruited red berries, hazelnut, spice, and truffle.
A passion for Chardonnay then led Robert Wessman to Limoux. At 400 meters above sea level, in the Haute Vallée, the La Serpent terroir, known for its cool climate and clay soils, gives birth to the Bugalys cuvées, remarkable for their liveliness and finesse. Here, the wines are conceived as true works of balance under the supervision of Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the World 2007. Bugalys 2023 offers a fresh, fruit-driven palate with white and exotic fruit notes, while Alti Bugalys 2020 stands out for its breadth and saline precision.
In 2021, the Maison expanded to include Vignobles des Verdots, a 45-hectare estate in the heart of Bergerac and Monbazillac, once again demonstrating the excellence of these often-overlooked terroirs.
In less than a decade, Maison Wessman, now spanning 86 hectares and certified HVE3, has established itself through wines born of underestimated terroirs, uniting heritage and innovation, and revealing the true potential of each land it cultivates.
The Essentiel Collection from Champagne Piper-Heidsieck brings together cuvées crafted for their complexity, precision, and their ability to meet the expectations of haute cuisine and discerning...
